Don't get me wrong- it's been a good weekend. I came here on a quick trip to take a class on Invisalign braces. Normally I love stuff like this- I honestly love what I do for work, and these little courses provide a lot of great opportunities to learn new things, see new places, and meet new people. This particular weekend I'm just not too thrilled about it though. It's been a long week at work (same number of hours...just longer hours than normal), and it's Mother's day, and Lindsey is at home throwing up and I'm really not that big a fan of Louisville anyway. I didn't even get to see a horse race.
Can't wait to be home.
You know what- let's focus on last weekend instead. That is something I can be a lot more positive about.
Cinco de Mayo. This is a big day for us. Because, besides being a very good day for a Mexican Army (and a very bad day for a French one), this day happens to be the anniversary of the day Rachel and I got married. Ten years. It seems like such a nice, round number, doesn't it? It's hard for me to imagine that. Ten years. Really? Where did that time go?
It seems like just yesterday we were eating lunch together at "The Wilk," making awkward small-talk about our college majors and somehow both seeing something in the other that made us want to deepen the relationship. It was so recently that I was borrowing by cousin's truck- the one with the torn vinyl seats and the passenger door that won't open- so that I could drive up with her and hike Mt. Timpanogos. I remember being giddy as I planned out a marriage proposal, because I already knew ahead of time that she would say "yes." I remember looking for our first apartment together thinking, 'wow- this is going to be OUR place. US, as in...together.'
It's been the most wonderful, adventurous, and spectacular ten years of my life. And in some ways it seems like even longer than that. It's weird how time works. When I think back to those early days it seems like it all took place just a blink of the eye away. BYU. Dancing. Talking. Climbing. Hiking. More Talking. And then we were here. But at the same time, it is difficult for me to remember life being any other way. So much has happened in that ten years that it is crazy to even think about. College graduation for both of us. Moving across the country. Getting through dental school. Starting a family. Starting careers. Having more kids and becoming a "big family." Moving again. Losing loved ones. Buying a house. Owning and running a business. Losing faith in a religion. Making difficult large-scale career changes. Having kids in school. Making friends. Becoming part of a community. And always lots and lots of dancing, talking, hiking, playing, climbing, and more talking.
It has been amazing. All of it. Good times and bad- I wouldn't trade a single second. Maybe because I honestly have a difficult time remembering what things were like- or even what they could be like- without Rachel. We are so much US that in some ways I feel like independent 'ME' has changed to the point that it couldn't survive anymore without a 'HER.' I know that sounds a little sappy and to some people maybe even a little pathetic (I can't help but feel sorry for their poor, embittered souls)- but that's the honest truth. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
The real celebration of these past ten years is taking place next month when my parents have graciously offered to take the kids so we can enjoy a week of fun and relaxation together. That will be a good vacation. At the same time, we have definitely not allowed the day to slip by unnoticed. Last weekend we hosted a large Cinco de Mayo party at our home, complete with Mexican food/drinks, music, decorations, and even a pinata for the kids. It was fun, and I have really come to enjoy hosting events like this.
On the day of our actual anniversary we did what we always do...we danced. Lately we have been getting out a lot more for this reason, and I have enjoyed it immensely. It's crazy because 16-year-old Logan would never have guessed that I would say that. But it's true. I have always loved music, and for some reason it is liberating to get out and just let it move you without caring at all what you look like (but taking comfort in the back of your mind that at least you look better than the guy next to you who is prancing around like an injured bird in it's last moments). So we danced.
And as we danced, I was thinking- what a good metaphor for our marriage. Dancing. The give and take. The cooperation. The fun. The complicated mixture between total spontaneity and carefully executed moves. The back and forth between surrendering entirely to the music, and the desire to shape that music into some coherent form of expression. It really is a beautiful thing, when two people know each other so well that all the interactions between the individual, the couple, and the music just flow together, becoming something that is entirely new and artistic, and yet at the same time somehow recognizable enough to be called "dancing."
And so it is that Rachel and I continue- as the song says- dancing through life. It is fun, and exciting, and beautiful. The music is ever-changing, the dance steps constantly evolving. But I could never in a million years ask for a better partner.
Dancing through life. I like that.
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| A walk on the boardwalk for our anniversary. |
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| Some of the kids during "the great candy trade" after the pinata. |
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| In recognition of Mother's Day- Rachel is super mom! Really. This picture says it all. |
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| This is the cutest little sick girl I've ever seen. |
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